Display device and methods for forming the same

ABSTRACT

A display device having a display region and a peripheral region surrounding the display region is provided. The display device includes a first adhesion layer sandwiched between a display unit and a protective structure. The protective structure includes a first protective layer having a first length in a first direction. The protective structure also includes a second adhesion layer disposed on the first protective layer. The protective structure further includes a second protective layer disposed on the second adhesion layer, and the second protective layer has a second length in the first direction, wherein the difference between the first length and the second length is between 0 and 1 mm, and wherein the second protective layer is on the outermost side of the display device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/785,472, filed on Oct. 17, 2017, which claims priority of ChinaPatent Application No. 201710560702.9 filed on Jul. 11, 2017, whichclaims the benefit of priority from a provisional application of U.S.Patent Application No. 62/416,679 filed on Nov. 2, 2016 and aprovisional application of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/449,605 filedon Jan. 24, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated by referenceherein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The embodiments of the disclosure relate to a display device, and inparticular to a display device with a protective structure having a flatside surface.

Description of the Related Art

As digital technology develops, display devices are becoming more widelyused in society. For example, display devices have been applied tomodern information and communication devices such as televisions,notebooks, computers, mobile phones and smartphones. In addition, eachgeneration of display devices has been developed to be thinner, lighter,smaller, and more fashionable than the last.

Curved structures have been widely used in household appliances,communication devices, and electronic information devices. Currently,curved structures can be combined with a touch panel and a display panelfor use as a touch display device, which allows users to directly selectimages shown on the panel using a finger or a touch pen. Therefore,touch display devices can provide an efficient operation system,gradually replacing physical keyboards as the input interface of choicein various electronic products.

Methods for forming a curved glass having a decorative layer in aconventional curved structure generally include a printing process aftera bending process. However, in the processes of printing after bending,since the curved glass has a complex appearance, the subsequent printingprocess (and other processing) is hard to perform. Therefore,conventional curved structures have the problem of having a lowerquality of appearance uniformity. Thus, conventional curved structuresstill have a bottleneck to break through.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a display device having a display regionand a peripheral region surrounding the display region. The displaydevice includes a first adhesion layer sandwiched between a display unitand a protective structure. The protective structure includes a firstprotective layer having a first length in a first direction. Theprotective structure also includes a second adhesion layer disposed onthe first protective layer. The protective structure further includes asecond protective layer disposed on the second adhesion layer, and thesecond protective layer has a second length in the first direction,wherein the difference between the first length and the second length isbetween 0 and 1 mm, and wherein the second protective layer is on theoutermost side of the display device.

The present disclosure provides a method for forming a display device.The method includes forming a display unit and a protective structure.The method also includes attaching the protective structure to thedisplay unit through a first adhesion layer, wherein forming theprotective structure includes: attaching a first protective layeradjacent to the display unit to a second protective layer through asecond adhesion layer, wherein the first protective layer has a firstlength in a first direction, the second protective layer has a secondlength in the first direction, and the difference between the firstlength and the second length is between 0 and 1 mm.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure may be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a display device in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2E are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a protective structure in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3F are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a protective structure in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4B are views of various stages of a process for attaching apolarizing film to a display element layer in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a display element layer inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 6A-6E are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a display device in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 7A-7D are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forattaching a protective structure to a display device in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8A-8C are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forattaching a protective structure to a display device in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The display device of the present disclosure is described in detail inthe following description. In the following detailed description, forpurposes of explanation, numerous specific details and embodiments areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presentdisclosure. The specific elements and configurations described in thefollowing detailed description are set forth in order to clearlydescribe the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that theexemplary embodiments set forth herein are used merely for the purposeof illustration, and the inventive concept may be embodied in variousforms without being limited to those exemplary embodiments. In addition,the drawings of different embodiments may use like and/or correspondingnumerals to denote like and/or corresponding elements in order toclearly describe the present disclosure. However, the use of like and/orcorresponding numerals in the drawings of different embodiments does notsuggest any correlation between different embodiments. In addition, inthis specification, expressions such as “first material layer disposedon/over a second material layer”, may indicate the direct contact of thefirst material layer and the second material layer, or it may indicate anon-contact state with one or more intermediate layers between the firstmaterial layer and the second material layer. In the above situation,the first material layer may not be in direct contact with the secondmaterial layer.

It should be noted that the elements or devices in the drawings of thepresent disclosure may be present in any form or configuration known tothose skilled in the art. In addition, the expression “a layer overlyinganother layer”, “a layer is disposed above another layer”, “a layer isdisposed on another layer” and “a layer is disposed over another layer”may indicate that the layer is in direct contact with the other layer,or that the layer is not in direct contact with the other layer, therebeing one or more intermediate layers disposed between the layer and theother layer.

In addition, in this specification, relative expressions are used. Forexample, “lower”, “bottom”, “higher” or “top” are used to describe theposition of one element relative to another. It should be appreciatedthat if a device is flipped upside down, an element that is “lower” willbecome an element that is “higher”.

The terms “about” and “substantially” typically mean +/−20% of thestated value, more typically +/−10% of the stated value, more typically+/−5% of the stated value, more typically +/−3% of the stated value,more typically +/−2% of the stated value, more typically +/−1% of thestated value and even more typically +/−0.5% of the stated value. Thestated value of the present disclosure is an approximate value. Whenthere is no specific description, the stated value includes the meaningof “about” or “substantially”.

It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, thirdetc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components,regions, layers, portions and/or sections, these elements, components,regions, layers, portions and/or sections should not be limited by theseterms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component,region, layer, portion or section from another region, layer or section.Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, portion or sectiondiscussed below could be termed a second element, component, region,layer, portion or section without departing from the teachings of thepresent disclosure.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this disclosure belongs. It should be appreciated that,in each case, the term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary,should be interpreted as having a meaning that conforms to the relativeskills of the present disclosure and the background or the context ofthe present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized oroverly formal manner unless so defined.

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be consideredpart of the entire written description. The drawings are not drawn toscale. In addition, structures and devices are shown schematically inorder to simplify the drawing.

In the description, relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,”“horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and“bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,”“downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to theorientation as then described or as shown in the drawing underdiscussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description anddo not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in aparticular orientation. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and thelike, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationshipwherein structures are secured or attached to one another eitherdirectly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as bothmovable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expresslydescribed otherwise.

The term “substrate” is meant to include devices formed within atransparent substrate and the layers overlying the transparentsubstrate. All transistor element needed may be already formed over thesubstrate. However, the substrate is represented with a flat surface inorder to simplify the drawing. The term “substrate surface” is meant toinclude the uppermost exposed layers on a transparent substrate, such asan insulating layer and/or metallurgy lines.

The thickness of a structure described in the embodiments of thedisclosure indicates a value for the average thickness of the structureafter deleting outliers. The outliers can be the thickness of an edge,an obvious micro-trench, or an obvious micro-raised area. After deletingthe outliers, most values of the thickness are within a range of plus orminus three standard deviations.

Refer to FIG. 1, which is a cross-sectional view of a display device1000 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 1, the display device 1000 has a display region 1000A anda peripheral region 1000B. In addition, in some embodiments, the displaydevice 1000 includes a protective structure 100, a first adhesion layer200 and a display unit 300, wherein the first adhesion layer 200 isdisposed between the protective structure 100 and the display unit 300.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protective structure 100 is on the outermostside of the display device 1000. In some embodiments, the protectivestructure 100 includes a first protective layer 110, a second adhesionlayer 120 and a second protective layer 130. The first protective layer110 is adjacent to the first adhesion layer 200. The material of thefirst protective layer 110 includes, but is not limited to, glass,poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) and otherapplicable materials. The first protective layer 110 has a first surface100A adjacent to the display unit 300. As shown in FIG. 1, the firstprotective layer 110 has a first length L1 in a first direction (e.g. Xdirection, which is parallel to the first surface 100A in across-section of the protective structure 100) and a first thickness T1in a second direction (e.g. Y direction, which is a direction along thestacking direction of the first protective layer 110, the secondadhesion layer 120 and the second protective layer 130). In someembodiments, the first thickness T1 is between 1 mm-3 mm. In addition,the first protective layer 110 is plastic (or flexible) so that thefirst protective layer 110 can be used in a display device having thecurved structure. When there is a requirement for the first protectivelayer 110 to be strengthened and the first protective layer 110 isglass, that is capable of being chemically strengthened, the firstprotective layer 110 may be soaked in a chemical solution such aspotassium nitrate to perform ion exchange to form achemical-strengthening layer (not shown) on the surface of the firstprotective layer 110 before the first protective layer 110 and thesecond protective layer 130 are attached together.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second protective layer 130 is disposed on thesecond adhesion layer 120, and is in the outermost layer of theprotective structure 100. In some embodiments, the second protectivelayer 130 includes, but is not limited to, alkali-free glass,alkali-containing glass or chemical-strengthening glass. As shown inFIG. 1, the second protective layer 130 has a second length L2 in thefirst direction and a second thickness T2 in the second direction. Insome embodiments, the second thickness T2 is smaller than or equivalentto the 0.4 mm. In addition, the second protective layer 130 is alsoplastic so that second protective layer 130 can be used in a displaydevice having the curved structure. In some embodiments, when there is arequirement for the second protective layer 130 to be strengthened andthe second protective layer 130 is glass, that is capable of beingchemically strengthened, the second protective layer 130 may be soakedin a chemical solution such as potassium nitrate to perform ion exchangeto form a chemical-strengthening layer (not shown) on the surface of thesecond protective layer 130 before the second protective layer 130 andthe first protective layer 110 are attached together.

The second adhesion layer 120 is disposed between the first protectivelayer 110 and the second protective layer 130 for attaching both thefirst protective layer 110 and the second protective layer 130. Thematerial of the second adhesion layer 120 may include, but is notlimited to, optical clear adhesive (OCA), optical clear resin (OCR) orother suitable transparent materials. As shown in FIG. 3, the secondadhesion layer 120 has a third length L3 in the first direction and athird thickness T3 in the second direction. In some embodiments, thethird thickness T3 is between 100 μm and 800 μm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protective structure 100 further includes alight-shielding layer 140. The light-shielding layer 140 is disposed onthe second adhesion layer 120 and in the second protective layer 130. Inaddition, the light-shielding layer 140 is disposed in the peripheralregion 1000B of the protective structure 100 to shield the elements orregion which is not used to display colors in the display device 1000.In some embodiment, the light-shielding layer 140 may be constituted ofa single layer, multiple layers or in a composite way of usingphoto-curable ink, thermal-curable ink, or another light-shieldingmaterial, but it is not limited thereto. The color of thelight-shielding layer 140 may be any color that does not make lighttransmission easy, such as white, black, grey, red, green, blue, gold,silver, another suitable color, or a combination thereof, but it is notlimited thereto. Moreover, the light-shielding layer 140 may be formedby using screen printing, inkjet printing, transfer printing or othersuitable methods.

In some embodiments, the first length L1 is substantially equivalent tothe second length L2 and the third length L3. In some embodiments, thedifference between the first length L1 and the second length L2 isbetween the 0 and 1 mm.

Moreover, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 300includes a first substrate 310, a liquid-crystal layer 320 disposed onthe first substrate 310, a light filter film 330 disposed on theliquid-crystal layer 320 and a second substrate 340 disposed on thelight filter film 330. In addition, the display unit 300 also includes afirst polarizing film 350 disposed on the second substrate 340 and asecond polarizing film 360 disposed on a surface far from the firstpolarizing film 350 of the first substrate 310. In some embodiments, thedisplay unit 300 further includes a sensing electrode layer 370 disposedabove the first polarizing film 350. By formation of the sensingelectrode layer 370, the display device 1000 can be used as a touchpanel. The formation of the sensing electrode layer 370 is optional: inother embodiments, the display unit 300 does not include the sensingelectrode layer 370.

The first substrate 310 may include a transparent substrate such as aglass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a plastic substrate or anotherapplicable substrate. The first substrate 310 also may includephosphosilicate glass (PSG), borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), siliconoxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, high-k material, any otherapplicable dielectric material, and a combinations thereof. The high-kmaterial refers to a material with a high dielectric constant and it mayinclude, but is not limited to, metal oxide, metal nitride, metalsilicide, transition metal oxide, transition metal nitride, transitionmetal silicide, transition metal oxynitride, metal aluminate, zirconiumsilicate, and zirconium aluminate. For example, the material of thehigh-k material may include, but is not limited to, LaO, AlO, ZrO, TiO,Ta₂O₅, Y₂O₃, SrTiO₃(STO), BaTiO₃(BTO), BaZrO, HfO₂, HfO₃, HfZrO, HfLaO,HfSiO, HfSiON, LaSiO, AlSiO, HfTaO, HfTiO, HfTaTiO, HfAlON,(Ba,Sr)TiO₃(BST), Al₂O₃, any other applicable high-k dielectricmaterial, and combinations thereof.

In addition, the first substrate 310 at least includes a light-emittingdiode (not shown) used as a radiant source of the display unit 300. Thefirst substrate 310 also includes an integrated circuit (not shown)electrically connected to the light-emitting diode. The integratedcircuit (IC) may include, but is not limited to, a micro-processor, amemory element and/or other elements. The IC may also include variouspassive and active microelectronic devices, such as thin film resistors,other capacitors (e.g., metal-insulator-metal capacitor, MIMCAP),inductors, diodes, metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors(MOSFETs), complementary MOS (CMOS) transistors, bipolar junctiontransistors (BJTs), laterally diffused MOS (LDMOS) transistors, highpower MOS transistors, or other types of transistors.

The liquid-crystal layer 320 is disposed over the first substrate 310.The liquid-crystal layer 320 utilizes the properties of liquid-crystalmolecules, which have different polarization or reflection effects tolights under different arrangement states, so as to control the amountsof the transmitting lights, and thus creates images. The liquid-crystallayer 320 may include, but is not limited to, a twisted nematic (TN)liquid-crystal, a super twisted nematic (STN) liquid-crystal, a doublelayer super twisted nematic (DSTN) liquid-crystal, a vertical alignment(VA) liquid-crystal, an in-plane switching (IPS) liquid-crystal, acholesteric liquid-crystal, a blue phase liquid-crystal, a fringe-fieldswitching (FFS) liquid-crystal, or any other suitable liquid-crystal.

The light filter film 330 is disposed on the liquid-crystal layer 320.The light filter film 330 may include, but is not limited to, a bluelight filter, a red light filter, a green light filter or other suitablecolor filters.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second substrate 340 is disposed on the lightfilter film 330. The second substrate 340 may include a transparentsubstrate such as a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a plasticsubstrate or another applicable substrate. The second substrate 340 alsomay include PSG, BPSG, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, high-k material, any other applicable dielectric material,and combinations thereof. The high-k material refers to a material witha high dielectric constant and it may include, but is not limited to,metal oxide, metal nitride, metal silicide, transition metal oxide,transition metal nitride, transition metal silicide, transition metaloxynitride, metal aluminate, zirconium silicate, and zirconiumaluminate. For example, the material of the high-k material may include,but is not limited to, LaO, AlO, ZrO, TiO, Ta₂O₅, Y₂O₃, SrTiO₃(STO),BaTiO₃(BTO), BaZrO, HfO₂, HfO₃, HfZrO, HfLaO, HfSiO, HfSiON, LaSiO,AlSiO, HfTaO, HfSiO, HfTaTiO, HfAlON, (Ba,Sr)TiO₃(BST), Al₂O₃, any otherapplicable high-k dielectric material, and combinations thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first polarizing film 350 is disposed over thesecond substrate 340, and the second polarizing film 360 is disposed onthe surface far from the first polarizing film 350 of the firstsubstrate 310. The first polarizing film 350 and the second polarizingfilm 360 can convert the natural light into linearly polarized light.The component of the polarized light is separated, and a part of itpasses through, while the other part is blocked by absorption,reflection and scattering by the first polarizing film 350 and thesecond polarizing film 360. The first polarizing film 350 and the secondpolarizing film 360 may include polyvinyl alcohol or other materials,and are not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 300 mayinclude the sensing electrode layer 370 disposed over the firstpolarizing film 350. The material of the sensing electrode layer 370 mayinclude a metal, other transparent conductive material or othernon-transparent conductive material such as a metal mesh, a carbonnanotube, a silver nanowire or a graphene. The transparent conductivematerial may include, but is not limited to, metal oxide such as indiumtin oxide (ITO), tin oxide (SnO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indiumgallium zinc oxide (IGZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), antimony tinoxide (ATO), antimony zinc oxide (AZO), a combination thereof, or anyother suitable transparent conductive oxide. In addition, the drivingmode of the sensing electrode layer 370 is self-capacitive type, and isnot limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first adhesion layer 200 is disposed between theprotective structure 100 and the display unit 300 for attaching theprotective structure 100 to the display unit 300. The material of thesecond adhesion layer 120 may include, but is not limited to, OCA, OCRor other suitable transparent materials.

Next, refer to FIGS. 2A-2E, which are cross-sectional views of variousstages of a process for forming the protective structure 100 inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Morespecifically, FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate that the formation of theprotective structure 100 which has a first protective layer 110 and asecond protective layer 130 of the same length.

At first, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first protective layer 110, thesecond adhesion layer 120 and the second protective layer 130 areprovided. The first protective layer 110 has an original length L0 inthe first direction, the second protective layer 130 has the secondlength L2 in the first direction, and the second adhesion layer 120 hasthe original length L0 in the first direction which is the same as thatof the first protective layer 110. As shown in FIG. 2A, the originallength L0 of the first protective layer 110 and the second adhesionlayer 120 is greater than the second length L2 of the second protectivelayer 130. In addition, the light-shielding layer 140 is formed in thesecond protective layer 130 and located in the peripheral of the secondprotective layer 130.

Next, refer to FIG. 2B, in which a first mask 150A is formed on a secondsurface 100B of the second protective layer 130, and a firstphotosensitive layer 160A is formed on the first surface 100A of thefirst protective layer 110. In some embodiments, the first mask 150Apartially overlaps the light-shielding layer 140. More specifically, theoverlapping portion between first mask 150A and the light-shieldinglayer 140 forms a ring. As shown in FIG. 2B, the length of the firstphotosensitive layer 160A is equivalent to the second length L2 of thesecond protective layer 130, and the first photosensitive layer 160Acompletely overlaps the second protective layer 130. In someembodiments, the first photosensitive layer 160A is a positive-typephotoresist.

Next, refer to FIG. 2C, wherein after the first photosensitive layer160A is formed on the first surface 100A of the first protective layer110, the first mask 150A is removed, and a second photosensitive layer170A is formed on the second surface 100B of the second protective layer130. The length of the second photosensitive layer 170A is equivalent toor greater than the second length L2 of the second protective layer 130.In addition, the second photosensitive layer 170A completely overlapsthe second protective layer 130 and the first photosensitive layer 160A.In some embodiments, the second photosensitive layer 170A is apositive-type photoresist.

Next, refer to FIG. 2D, wherein after the second photosensitive layer170A is formed on the second surface 100B of the second protective layer130, an etching process is performed without performing the developingprocess. Afterwards, the first photosensitive layer 160A and the secondphotosensitive layer 170A are removed. As shown in FIG. 2D, after theetching process is performed, a portion of the first protective layer110 is removed, and therefore the first protective layer 110 has thefirst length L1 in the first direction. In some embodiments, the firstlength L1 is substantially equivalent to the second length L2. In someembodiments, the difference between the first length L1 and the secondlength L2 is between 0 and 1 mm. In addition, after the etching processis performed, a first chamfer portion 110A and a second chamfer portion110B are formed on the first surface 100A of the first protective layer110 along a cross-section of the stacking direction of the firstprotective layer 110, the second adhesion layer 120 and the secondprotective layer 130. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2D, thereare a first angle θ1 between the first chamfer portion 110A and thefirst surface 100A and a second angle θ2 between the second chamferportion 110B and the first surface 100A. The first angle θ1 is differentfrom the second angle θ2 due to the variance caused by the etchingprocess on two chamfer portions. Although FIG. 2D only illustrates thefirst protective layer 110 has the first chamfer portion 110A and thesecond chamfer portion 110B on the first surface 100A, there are fourchamfer portions formed by the etching process on four corners of thefirst surface 100A of the first protective layer 110. Moreover, theangles constituted by these four chamfer portions and the first surface100A are different from each other. Namely, the shapes of these fourchamfer portions are different from each other.

Next, refer to FIG. 2E, wherein after the etching process is performed,a portion of the second adhesion layer 120 is removed. As a result, thesecond adhesion layer 120 has the third length L3 which is the same asthe first length L1 and the second length L2 in the first direction.Afterwards, the protective structure 100 is formed, and the protectivestructure 100 has a first protective layer 110 and a second protectivelayer 130 of the same length in the first direction. In addition, theprotective structure 100 has a continuous side flat plane composed bythe first protective layer 110, the second adhesion layer 120, thesecond protective layer 130 and the light-shielding layer 140 along thesecond direction. In some embodiments, the edge difference between thefirst protective layer 110 and the second protective layer 130 issmaller than 0.1 mm, and this edge difference is defined by the lengthof the first protective layer 110 exceeding the second protective layer130 or the second protective layer 130 exceeding the first protectivelayer 110 in the first direction. Using the process mentioned above toform the protective structure 100 avoids the problem of the edge of thefirst protective layer 110 and the second protective layer 130 beingbroken or damaged by the cutting process.

Next, refer to FIGS. 3A-3F, which are cross-sectional views of variousstages of a process for forming the protective structure 100 inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Morespecifically, FIGS. 3A-3E illustrate that the formation of theprotective structure 100 with a first protective layer 110 and a secondprotective layer 130 of the same length.

At first, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first protective layer 110, thesecond adhesion layer 120 and the second protective layer 130 areprovided. The first protective layer 110 has the original length L0 inthe first direction, the second protective layer 130 has the secondlength L2 in the first direction, and the second adhesion layer 120 hasthe original length L0 in the first direction which is the same as thatof the first protective layer 110. As shown in FIG. 3A, the originallength L0 of the first protective layer 110 and the second adhesionlayer 120 is greater than the second length L2 of the second protectivelayer 130. In addition, the light-shielding layer 140 is formed in thesecond protective layer 130 and located in the peripheral of the secondprotective layer 130.

Next, refer to FIG. 3B, in which a second photosensitive layer 170B isformed on the second surface 100B of the second protective layer 130. Asshown in FIG. 3B, the length of the second photosensitive layer 170B isequivalent to or greater than the second length L2 of the secondprotective layer 130, and the second photosensitive layer 170Bcompletely overlaps the second protective layer 130. In someembodiments, the second photosensitive layer 170B is a negative-typephotoresist.

Next, refer to FIG. 3C, wherein after the second photosensitive layer170B is formed on the second surface 100B of the second protective layer130, a second mask 150B is formed on the first surface 100A of the firstprotective layer 110. Afterwards, a first photosensitive layer 160B isformed on the first surface 100A of the first protective layer 110. Insome embodiments, the second mask 150B does not overlap the secondprotective layer 130 and the light-shielding layer 140, and the firstphotosensitive layer 160B is surrounded by the second mask 150B. Morespecifically, the second mask 150B is a ring structure surrounding thesecond protective layer 130 and the first photosensitive layer 160B froma top view. As shown in FIG. 3C, the length of the first photosensitivelayer 160B is equivalent to the second length L2 of the secondprotective layer 130, and the first photosensitive layer 160B completelyoverlaps the second protective layer 130. In some embodiments, the firstphotosensitive layer 160B is a negative photoresist.

Next, refer to FIG. 3D, wherein after the first photosensitive layer160B is formed on the first surface 100A of the first protective layer110, the second mask 150B is removed, and a developing process isperformed on the first photosensitive layer 160B and the secondphotosensitive layer 170B.

Next, refer to FIG. 3E, wherein after the developing process isperformed, an etching process is performed, and the first photosensitivelayer 160B and the second photosensitive layer 170B are removed. Asshown in FIG. 3E, after the etching process is performed, a portion ofthe first protective layer 110 is removed, and therefore the firstprotective layer 110 has the first length L1 in the first direction. Insome embodiments, the first length L1 is substantially equivalent to thesecond length L2. In some embodiments, the difference between the firstlength L1 and the second length L2 is between 0 and 1 mm. In addition,after the etching process is performed, the first chamfer portion 110Aand the second chamfer portion 110B are formed on the first surface 100Aof the first protective layer 110 along a cross-section of the stackingdirection of the first protective layer 110, the second adhesion layer120 and the second protective layer 130. In some embodiments, the firstangle θ1 between the first chamfer portion 110A and the first surface100A is different from the second angle θ2 between the second chamferportion 110B and the first surface 100A. Although FIG. 3E onlyillustrate the first protective layer 110 has the first chamfer portion110A and the second chamfer portion 110B on the first surface 100A,there are four chamfer portions formed by the etching process on fourcorners of the first surface 100A of the first protective layer 110.Moreover, the angles constituted by these four chamfer portions and thefirst surface 100A are different from each other.

Next, refer to FIG. 3F, wherein after the etching process is performed,a portion of the second adhesion layer 120 is removed. As a result, thesecond adhesion layer 120 has the third length L3 which is same as thefirst length L1 and the second length L2 in the first direction.Afterwards, the protective structure 100 is formed, and the protectivestructure 100 has a first protective layer 110 and a second protectivelayer 130 of the same length in the first direction. In addition, theprotective structure 100 has a continuous side flat plane composed bythe first protective layer 110, the second adhesion layer 120, thesecond protective layer 130 and the light-shielding layer 140 along thesecond direction. In some embodiments, the edge difference between thefirst protective layer 110 and the second protective layer 130 issmaller than 0.1 mm, and this edge difference may be defined by thelength of the first protective layer 110 exceeding the second protectivelayer 130 or the second protective layer 130 exceeding the firstprotective layer 110 in the first direction. Using the process mentionedabove to form the protective structure 100 avoids the problem of theedge of the first protective layer 110 and the second protective layer130 being broken or damaged by the cutting process.

Next, referring to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5, FIGS. 4A-4B are views of aprocess for attaching a first polarizing film 350 and a secondpolarizing film 360 to a display element layer 390 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 5 is across-sectional view of a display element layer 390 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. The display element layer390 may be used as a bulk substrate for forming a display unit 300. Thedisplay element layer 390 includes a first substrate 310, a light filterfilm 330 and a second substrate 340. The display element layer 390includes a liquid-crystal layer 320 disposed between the light filterfilm 330 and the first substrate 310. The display element layer 390 alsofurther includes a scribe line 321 between the light filter film 330 andthe first substrate 310. As shown in FIG. 5, the scribe line 321separates two neighboring liquid-crystal layers 320.

Turning back to FIGS. 4A and 4B, FIG. 4A illustrates that the firstpolarizing film 350 and the second polarizing film 360 are attached tothe uncut display element layer 390, and the structure shown in FIG. 4Bis formed. The first polarizing film 350 and the second polarizing film360 may be attached to two sides of the display element layer 390simultaneously. Alternatively, the first polarizing film 350 may beattached to the display element layer 390 before the second polarizingfilm 360 is attached to the display element layer 390. Alternatively,the second polarizing film 360 may be attached to the display elementlayer 390 before the first polarizing film 350 is attached to thedisplay element layer 390. In the structure shown in FIG. 4B, thedisplay element layer 390 includes the scribe line 321 and the multipleliquid-crystal layers 320 separated by the scribe line 321. The scribeline 321 may be designed to have the desired shape, which may be arectangle or another non-rectangular shape such as a circle, an oval, atriangle, or a hexagon, or it may be another, irregular shape, but it isnot limited thereto.

Next, refer to FIGS. 6A-6E, which are cross-sectional views of variousstages of a process for forming the display unit in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. More specifically, FIGS. 6A-6Eillustrate the process of cutting the structure including the firstpolarizing film 350, the second polarizing film 360 and the displayelement layer 390 as shown in FIG. 4B so as to form isolated the displayunit 300.

At first, in reference to FIG. 6A, the bulk structure including thefirst polarizing film 350, the second polarizing film 360 and thedisplay element layer 390 is provided. The first polarizing film 350 andthe second polarizing film 360 are disposed on two opposite sides of thedisplay element layer 390, and the display element layer 390 includesthe scribe line 321 and the multiple liquid-crystal layers 320 separatedby the scribe line 321.

Next, in reference to FIG. 6B, in some embodiments, a first laser 400 isused to remove a portion of the first polarizing film 350. As shown inFIG. 6B, the portion of the first polarizing film 350 removed by thefirst laser 400 is corresponding to where the scribe line 321 isdisposed. In this step, the display element layer 390 is not cut.Namely, the first laser 400 only removes the portion of first polarizingfilm 350, and does not remove the second substrate 340. The selection ofthe first laser 400 may be according to the material of the firstpolarizing film 350 and the second polarizing film 360. For example, theultraviolet is used as the first laser 400 to remove the firstpolarizing film 350.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6C, after the portion of the firstpolarizing film 350 corresponding to where the scribe line 321 isdisposed is removed, the first laser 400 is used to remove a portion ofthe second polarizing film 360. As shown in FIG. 6C, the portion of thesecond polarizing film 360 removed by the first laser 400 iscorresponding to where the scribe line 321 is disposed. In this step,the display element layer 390 is not cut. Namely, the first laser 400only removes the portion of second polarizing film 360, and does notremove the first substrate 310. In this embodiment, the same laser (suchas the first laser 400) is used to remove the first polarizing film 350and the second polarizing film 360. In other embodiments, it may usedifferent lasers to remove the first polarizing film 350 and the secondpolarizing film 360. In addition, the second polarizing film 360 may beremoved, followed by the first polarizing film 350 being removed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6D, after the portion of the firstpolarizing film 350 and the second polarizing film 360 corresponding towhere the scribe line 321 is disposed are removed, a portion of thefirst substrate 310 and the second substrate 340 are removed. In someembodiments, a second laser 500 is used to remove the first substrate310 and the second substrate 340. The selection of the second laser 500may be according to the material of the first substrate 310 and thesecond substrate 340. For example, the infrared is used as the secondlaser 500 to cut the first substrate 310 and the second substrate 340along the scribe line 321. In addition, in some embodiments, a cuttingtool is used to remove the portion of the first substrate 310 and thesecond substrate 340. In this step, the first substrate 310 and thesecond substrate 340 may not be completely cut through. Namely, thescribe line 321 is still completely covered by the first substrate 310and the second substrate 340.

Next, after the portion of the first substrate 310 and the secondsubstrate 340 corresponding to where the scribe line 321 is disposed areremoved, the remaining portion of the display element layer 390 isbroken by a method such as baking, and the multiple isolated displayunits 300 are formed. Using the method described in the embodiments ofthe present disclosure, some steps such as scribing, breaking, grindingand cleaning can be omitted. In addition, the yield of the display unit300 is also improved by attaching the first polarizing film 350 and thesecond polarizing film 360 to the display element layer 390 first, andthen cutting to form the isolated display unit 300.

Refer to FIGS. 7A-7D, which are cross-sectional views of various stagesof a process for attaching the protective structure 100 to the displayunit 300 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.It should be appreciated that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7A-7D cannot only be applied in attaching the protective structure 100 and thedisplay unit 300 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but alsoin other display devices having a curved structure.

At first, with reference to FIG. 7A, the protective structure 100 andthe display unit 300 are provided. As shown in FIG. 7A, the firstsurface 100A of the protective structure 100 has an original first shapeS1 along the cross-section such as the X direction or Y direction. Thefirst shape S1 may be formed in a single or multiple staggered way ofconvex part, convex point, concave part or concave point. The exteriorof the first shape S1 may be seen as a ˜ shape, a υ shape, ω shape, Ωshape, ν shape, σ shape or o shape in a cross section. There is ahighest point in the partial area such as a ridge point or a top point,and a lowest point in the partial area such as a saddle point or aconcave point. Next, with reference to FIGS. 7B and 7C, in someembodiments, before the protective structure 100 is attached to thedisplay unit 300, a carrier substrate 600 is provided, and the displayunit 300 is attached to the carrier substrate 600. As shown in FIG. 7B,the surface 600A of the carrier substrate 600 has the shape same as thefirst shape S1 of the first surface 100A of the protective structure100. As shown in FIG. 7C, after the display unit 300 is attached to thecarrier substrate 600, a third surface 300A of the display unit 300 alsohas the shape same as the first shape S1 of the first surface 100A ofthe protective structure 100.

The carrier substrate 600 may be formed of glass, a polymer such aspolyimide (PI), plastic, rubber, metal, or a ceramic material, but it isnot limited thereto. The process of attaching the display unit 300 tothe carrier substrate 600 may be vacuum adsorption, electrostaticadsorption, gluing, or another process of physical or chemical bonding,but it is not limited thereto.

Next, in reference to FIG. 7D, the third surface 300A with the firstshape S1 of the display unit 300 is attached to the first surface 100Awith the first shape S1 of the protective structure 100 through thefirst adhesion layer 200, and the carrier substrate 600 is removed.Afterwards, the display device 1000 is formed. The attachment processmay be formed by roll-to-roll (R2R) processing or exerting pressure onthe display unit 300 so that the display unit 300 may be attachedconformally to the shape of the protective structure 100.

In this embodiment, the attaching surface (e.g. the third surface 300A)of the display unit 300 has the same shape as the protective structure100. Therefore, it prevents bubbles or gaps from forming in theinterface between the display unit 300 and the protective structure 100.

Refer to FIGS. 8A-8C, which are cross-sectional views of various stagesof a process for attaching the protective structure 100 to the displayunit 300 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.It should be appreciated that the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8A-8C cannot only be applied in attaching the protective structure 100 and thedisplay unit 300 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but alsoin other display devices having a curved structure.

At first, with reference to FIG. 8A, the protective structure 100 andthe display unit 300 are provided. As shown in FIG. 8A, the firstsurface 100A of the protective structure 100 has an original first shapeS1 along the cross-section such as the X direction or Y direction.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8B, in some embodiments, before attachingthe protective structure 100 to the display unit 300, the protectivestructure 100 is rotated (or bent) so that the first surface 100A has asecond shape S2 that is different from the first shape S1. In someembodiments, the second shape S2 does not have a convex and/or a concavepoint, and the position of the second direction (such as the Ycoordinate) of the protective structure 100 decreases or increasesprogressively along the first direction (e.g. X direction). Morespecifically, there is only one intersection between the protectivestructure 100 having the second shape S2 and any cross-section lineparallel to the first direction.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8C, the display unit 300 is attached to thefirst surface 100A with the second shape S2 of the protective structure100 through the first adhesion layer 200, and the display device 1000 isformed. In this embodiment, since the display unit 300 does not haveconvex or concave substantially, it prevents bubbles or gaps fromforming in the interface between the display unit 300 and the protectivestructure 100 during the attachment process.

Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantageshave been described in detail, it should be understood that variouschanges, substitutions and alterations can be made herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims. For example, it will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art that many of the features, functions, processes, andmaterials described herein may be varied while remaining within thescope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the presentapplication is not intended to be limited to the particular embodimentsof the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means,methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinaryskill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of thepresent disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions ofmatter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to bedeveloped, that perform substantially the same function or achievesubstantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments describedherein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly,the appended claims are intended to include within their scope suchprocesses, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means,methods, or steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device having a display region and aperipheral region surrounding the display region, wherein the displaydevice comprises: a display unit: a first adhesion layer disposed on thedisplay unit; and a protective structure disposed on the first adhesionlayer, wherein the protective structure comprises: a first protectivelayer having a first length in a first direction; a second adhesionlayer disposed on the first protective layer; and a second protectivelayer disposed on the second adhesion layer, and the second protectivelayer has a second length in the first direction, wherein a differencebetween the first length and the second length is between 0 and 1 mm,and wherein the second protective layer is on the outermost side of thedisplay device.
 2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein theprotective structure has a first surface adjacent to the display unit,and wherein in a cross-section along a stack direction of the protectivestructure, the first protective layer has a first chamfer portion and asecond chamfer portion on the first surface, and an angle between thefirst chamfer portion and the first surface is different from an anglebetween the second chamfer portion and the first surface.
 3. The displaydevice as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display unit comprises: aliquid-crystal layer disposed on a first substrate; and a firstpolarizing film disposed on the first liquid-crystal layer, wherein thefirst polarizing film is adjacent to the first surface of the protectivestructure.
 4. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein thefirst protective layer has a first thickness in a second directionperpendicular to the first direction, the second protective layer has asecond thickness in the second direction, the first thickness is greaterthan the second thickness, and the second thickness is smaller than orequivalent to 0.2 mm, and greater than
 0. 5. The display device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the protective structure further comprises:a light-shielding layer disposed in the second protective layer and inthe peripheral region of the display device, wherein the firstprotective layer, the second adhesion layer, the second protective layerand the light-shielding layer have a continuous flat surface in a seconddirection perpendicular to the first direction.
 6. The display device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the second adhesion layer has a third lengthin the first direction, wherein the first length is equivalent to thesecond length, and equivalent to the third length.